Prof. Stanisław Kluska was born in 1940 in Skala. During the years 1958 – 1964 he attended to the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków – Department of Graphic Design in Katowice, receiving the diploma in Artistic Graphics as a student of professor Aleksander Rak and Functional Graphics under the guidance of associated professor Bogusław Górecki. In the years 1970 – 2011 he was a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, branch in Katowice, and now the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. He has participated in numerous international exhibitions and poster competitions, for which he has received over 30 awards and honors. His main domains are artistic graphics, drawing, poster and book graphics.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS (some of them):

  • Ars Polona Galerie, Düseldorf (Germany) in 1983;
  • „Samlargrafik”, Kristanstad (Sweden) in 1984;
  • Galerie Friedenau, Berlin (Germany) in 1985;
  • Atelier Jörg Simon, Münster (Germany) in 1986;
  • Galeria Inny Świat, Kraków (Poland) in 1988;
  • Muzeum Śląskie, Katowice (Poland) in 1992;
  • Galeria Alte Post, Westerland, Sylt (Germany) in 1989;
  • Galeria Cassino, Aix-les-Bains (France) in 1992;
  • Galeria Uniwersytecka, Cieszyn (Poland) in 1995;
  • Galeria Ratusz, Świdnica (Poland) in 2007.

COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS (the most significant ones):

  • International Biennal of Graphic Arts, Frechen in 1983, 1986, 1990;
  • International Biennal of Graphic Arts, Kraków in 1984, 1986;
  • Intergrafia, Katowice in 1984, 1986;
  • Nationwide Post-Competition Exhibition of Graphic Arts, Łódź in 1984, 1986;
  • International Biennal of Graphic Design, Warna in 1985;
  • 4th European Biennal of Graphic Arts, Baden-Baden in 1985;
  • „Contemporary Polish Graphic Art”, Weiniger Graphics, Boston in 1985;
  • „Grafika z Krakowskiej Akademii Sztuk Pięknych” (Print from Cracow Academy of Fine Arts), Kraków in 1985;
  • Exhibition of works by students and teachers of ASP Katowice, Perugia in 1986;
  • Consument ART. 86, Norymberga in 1986;
  • International Exhibition of Painting and Graphics, Obere Galerie, West Berlin in 1987;
  • International Biennal of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana in 1987;
  • „IV Triennial of Painting and Graphics” per L’Incisione, Biella in 1987;
  • “Polish Prints – A Contemporary Graphic Tradition”, The Gallery of the Dapartment of Art And Art History, University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 1989;
  • Print Club, Philadelphia in 1989;
  • Art Boxby Gallery, St. Luis in 1990;
  • The Polish Museum of America, Chicago in 1990;
  • II Festival of Graphic Art, Menton in 1990;
  • Premio Internazionale (International Award), Biella in 1990;
  • I Polish Print Triennial, Katowice in 1991;
  • Polnisches Institut (Polish Institute) , Dusseldorf in 1997;
  • „ Exhibition of works by ASP teachers – 50th Anniversary of the Faculty of Graphic Arts in Katowice”, BWA, Katowice in 1997;
  • „Graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow 1946-2006”, Czartoryski Museum, Kraków in 2006;
  • “Europen Graphics. Master of Printmaking”, Muzeum Śląskie, Katowice in 2009;
  • “Koszarowa 17 – Graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice”, Art Gallery, Łódź, 2009;
  • “Graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice”, Düsseldorf in 2010;
  • “6th International Printmaking Biennal of Douro” in 2012;
  • Premio Internazionale di Grafica „Leonardo Sciascia Amateur d’estapmes” (International Graphics „Leonardo Sciascia Amateur d’estampes”), (Grand Prix 2013) Milano in 2014.

WORKS IN COLLECTIONS OF:

Upper Silesian Museum, Bytom; National Museum, Kielce; Silesian Museum, Katowice; The Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum, Bydgoszcz; Poster Museum in Wilanów, Warszawa.

“I used to know some excellent artists of functional graphics, who tried their hand at pure graphics, but with the poor result, frankly speaking; as if the finger of God himself shows them the right direction, ordering them to design simple logos rather than to reveal the depth of spirit. Re-debut of Kluska in graphic arts, which was not so long ago, was rather imposing. These dozen etchings, which are representative of his art, include works that are undoubtedly the top of contemporary Polish graphic, in which we are highly successful. Therefore the uniqueness of this re-debut gets more significant.” 

Tadeusz Nyczek, [w:] Stanisław Kluska, graphics. Inny Świat Gallery, Kraków 1988 (exhibition catalogue).

Tadeusz Nyczek (born August 1, 1946 in Kraków) – literary, theater and artistic critic; He studied Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University. T. Nyczek collaborated with many literary journals, theaters, galleries. Untill 1981, he belonged to the Polish Writers Union and the Association of Polish Journalists. In 1989, Nyczek received B. Szulowska Award, in May 1998 he was awarded the Prize of the Krakow Book of the Month for the book 22 x Szymborska, in 2000, Nyczek received Kazimierz Wyka Award. On September 22,2010 he was awarded the Medal of "Niezłomny w słowie" (award for an activity on behalf of freedom of speech).

“Stanislaw Kluska is one of those artists who are not looking for purity of the art form, aesthetics, or formal beauty. He feels close connection with his poetry mentors, moralizers, because like them Kluska speaks by images that need to be read. The content of graphics is important and the theme is always the man and his invariant fate in the cycle of history. Kluska is an observer and narrator. He looks at the world from a distance with kindness and irony. The people who are observed by Kluska appear as enchanted beings in a meaningless striving for anything, entangled in the fate with preordained destiny. This is the kind of story of people that are possessed and fettered. The images of Kluska resemble those ships of madmen, medieval dances of death, hospitals, insane people, graveyards. All is vanity, everything is gone, memento mori. Kluska is concerned with the vision of the apocalypse, passing, and that makes him similar to the old masters, who similarly warned people against the end of the world. Yet the graphics of Kluska do not threaten. The images would be rather thought-provoking, they call for humility and can be regarded as a morality play of a fair mentor.”

Leszek Rozga, [in:] Stanislaw Kluska artwork. M-Studio, Zabrze (no year of issue.).